This is an interesting piece for me, because I'm currently living my own introduction to Doctor Who. I took the plunge just a month or so ago, starting with the most recent Doctor. If everybody has their Doctor, I suppose Matt Smith will be mine, but time will tell.

By coincidence, at just a few episodes in, I was invited to see a theatrical exhibition of the 50th Anniversary Special. I will be the fourth wheel of a group that includes a currently-unattached Whovian with whom I'm amorously infatuated, so I've been bolting down episodes as fast as I can manage. Many other things on my to-do list have been put on the backburner for the sake of love and science fiction.

Doctor Who has turned out to be right up my alley, but in all honesty, it's not surprising to me that it's taken me this long to come around. I'd never even heard of Doctor Who until adulthood. My entire childhood and coming-of-age were nestled right in that time period in which there was no Doctor Who. (The abortive attempt to bring it back in 1996 would have been a weak blip on my radar at best.) I was four when the show was canceled and I was 20 by the time it came back--very formative years in one's experience of popular culture. Since then, the show has been a faint rumble at the back of my perception of things happening in nerd culture--a progressively louder rumble, but never quite loud enough to drown out the louder things at the forefront.

At this very early (or late) point, the things I appreciate most about the show are its overall sense of can-do optimism, its willingness to use darkness when appropriate, the ingenuity of solving bizarre problems with a minimum of violent force, the childish sense of wonder, the adult sense of how friendships work under strain... and mostly the big ideas, I think. I wrote in my appreciation of Looper that I dig serial fiction that sacrifices some of its coherence for the sake of zapping from one wildly inventive idea to the next. Doctor Who seems to be all about that kind of freewheeling sci-fi storytelling.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

I never watched Dr. Who and thanks to the fandom, I never will. But this was pretty cool.

He's looking unusually vigorous and youthful for a man of his age.

You look a bit hoary, though.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

I never watched Dr. Who and thanks to the fandom, I never will. But this was pretty cool.

He's looking unusually vigorous and youthful for a man of his age.

You look a bit hoary, though.

hoary?

*looks it up*

.....not sure if I should laugh at attempted joke or glare at horrible joke?

Sat Nov 23, 2013 3:59 pm

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1728

Re: November 23, 2013: "The Golden Doctor"

Laugh at horrible joke, please.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Sat Nov 23, 2013 4:00 pm

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3654Location: Zion, IL

Re: November 23, 2013: "The Golden Doctor"

The 1996 Made for TV film was actually my first exposure to the show and I enjoyed it well enough, saw a couple episodes of the new series and thought they were OK, but it's not really something I feel like watching on a regular basis.

I never watched Dr. Who and thanks to the fandom, I never will. But this was pretty cool.

He's looking unusually vigorous and youthful for a man of his age.

You look a bit hoary, though.

He was also in All creatures Great and small.Equally legendary.note:I think that David Tennant's Doctor has had the greatest overall impact on the series. When he started he has the major problem of following Christopher Ecleston, who himself was very good.The new doctor seemed to have way more depth and this has continued on to today.

If you are a Dr. Who fan i hope you live near the UK or can get BBC1 because they showed a really good episode tonight.

Got back a little bit ago from the theatrical screening of the new special. The 3D was a non-issue, but what was really cool was that they added a few theater-only intros that were essentially comedic, plus a behind-the-scenes featurette at the end. There are some particularly great bits at the beginning with the 10th and 11th Doctors subtly making fun of each other, and with Strax delivering the rules of theater etiquette in his own peculiar way.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

The link works internationally. I watched this Saturday evening shortly after the link went up. A must-see for fans of the "classic" Doctors. Fans of nuWho may get a chuckle. People who don't "get" Doctor Who will think this is just silly (which, of course, it is).

Love the in-joke about Tom Baker - since they couldn't get him, they used the SHADA footage again.

Was a huge Doctor Who fan back in the day. Chicago used to have a pretty big Sci-Fi convention over Thanksgiving weekend that allowed me to see many actors from Doctor Who, Star Trek (most incarnations), MST3K, Babylon 5 and other shows from the 90's. Over the years I have collected autographs from Doctors 2 through 7 (Troughton to McCoy inclusive) and I have pictures of myself with many actors (Jeri Ryan from ST:Voyager was a highlight....for obvious reasons). That "big convention" folded a while ago and was replaced by a smaller affair that I never got into. Haven't been to a convention since the new series started. This year I'm making a return to "Chicago Tardis" since it is the 50th Anniversary year of the show and they have a shitload of guests.

My history with Doctor Who started in 1984 with Tom Baker in "Pyramids of Mars", which is still a favorite of mine. I started watching with the episodes spliced together into complete stories on my PBS station which meant most "episodes" ran 90 minutes with some going 2:15. That is still my preferred way of watching the classics. I also still prefer the classic episodes to the new incarnation, though I admit that watching the classics is like watching paint dry compared to the new ones, that's how slow they move. But that too is part of their charm.

My history with Doctor Who started in 1984 with Tom Baker in "Pyramids of Mars", which is still a favorite of mine. I started watching with the episodes spliced together into complete stories on my PBS station which meant most "episodes" ran 90 minutes with some going 2:15. That is still my preferred way of watching the classics. I also still prefer the classic episodes to the new incarnation, though I admit that watching the classics is like watching paint dry compared to the new ones, that's how slow they move. But that too is part of their charm.

Loved those six-parters on Saturdays. What a way to chew up an afternoon. One time, our local PBS station showed the omnibus (movie-version) of "Inferno" (a seven-parter) during a pledge drive. Without breaks, that would have been about 2:40. Throw in three 15-minute breaks and it ended up running more than 3:30. If I recall correctly, they had Nicolas Courtney (The Brigadier) in studio for those breaks so if you called in and pledged more than $100 (or something like that), you could talk to him on the phone. Pledge breaks used to be fun in those days because they'd give out snippets of news about the "new" episodes that we hadn't seen yet on this side of the Atlantic.

Loved those six-parters on Saturdays. What a way to chew up an afternoon. One time, our local PBS station showed the omnibus (movie-version) of "Inferno" (a seven-parter) during a pledge drive. Without breaks, that would have been about 2:40. Throw in three 15-minute breaks and it ended up running more than 3:30. If I recall correctly, they had Nicolas Courtney (The Brigadier) in studio for those breaks so if you called in and pledged more than $100 (or something like that), you could talk to him on the phone. Pledge breaks used to be fun in those days because they'd give out snippets of news about the "new" episodes that we hadn't seen yet on this side of the Atlantic.

I remember watching the 2nd Doctor's farewell "The War Games" at 10 parts, which equates to about a 3 hour and 45 minute run time when strung together, for the first time and finding it really draining. The subsequent times I watched it (including the last one about about 8 years ago) I was mentally prepared and it actually didn't seem as long.

Curious JB: Have you taken the time to watch either of the recently discovered "lost episodes" ("The Enemy of the World" or "The Web Of Fear") yet? Watched the first but haven't got to the second yet. Great reminder about how slow the plotting was in many of those classic episodes.

Watched the "The Day of the Doctor" (the 50th Anniversary episode) and while it was pretty good, it probably didn't have enough of the nostalgia factor to match the significance of the event. Also, if you have a chance to watch Peter Davison's "The Five(ish) Doctors" online, it runs about 30 minutes and is pretty funny. A bit campy at parts...but funny.

Mon Dec 02, 2013 11:15 am

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1728

Re: November 23, 2013: "The Golden Doctor"

As a new fan, I was a little put off by the propensity of fan shout-outs in the special. I realize that there has to be some of that stuff in a special that's purpose-built as a valentine to the people who have stuck with the show through thick and thin, but there were scenes that almost had a subtitle reading "HEY FANS, REMEMBER THIS?" flashing at the bottom.

You know there's some telegraphing going on when there's a reference that you're unfamiliar with, yet you know purely from the visual cues that there's a reference happening. THIS GUY HERE IS IMPORTANT. HEY, LOOK AT THIS ANACHRONISTIC PROP. LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT TARDISes. TARDII?TARDIS-ees?

That's a really nitpicky and inconsequential criticism, of course. I just figured I'd mention it from my perspective. In my inexperienced eyes, there's significant nostalgia to go around in a show that ends with a shot of every single actor ever to play the character standing in formation like the cover of a Queen album.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Point taken, Ken. Just as a frame of reference, for the 20th Anniversary they had a story that included every Doctor to date with significant screen time and plot contributions for each (save the 4th Doctor who refused to participate as he had vacated the role 2 years before after a lengthy tenure. His inclusion was in the form of some footage from a previous story that was halted part way due to a BBC strike and never completed and was shoe-horned into the episode.) From my perspective though, when that show was broadcast, we had only had access to Doctors 4 and 5; our PBS station had not obtained the rights to Doctors 1-3 yet so they were unknown to us and yet we somehow survived.

The 25th Anniversary, however, went largely uncelebrated with an "average" Cyberman adventure serving as the place-holder.

Inclusion of EVERY Doctor would not have been practical now of course, but for an episode celebrating the 50th Anniversary, the new episode seemed more so focused on the last 7 seasons than on the first 26 seasons. From a business perspective, I don't think that having a bit more balance would have done much to alienate new fans as most would understand that there is that history to serve, and it might have even coaxed more people into seeking out the classic series.

Depending on how "new" you are, some of those "in references" in the special may have only been 7 years old (new Who), not 37 years old.

Mon Dec 02, 2013 12:39 pm

p604

Assistant Second Unit Director

Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:17 amPosts: 181

Re: November 23, 2013: "The Golden Doctor"

Johnny Larue wrote:

Inclusion of EVERY Doctor would not have been practical now of course, but for an episode celebrating the 50th Anniversary, the new episode seemed more so focused on the last 7 seasons than on the first 26 seasons.

Quote:

I think that this episode was more focused on the big time war and what happened there.I would have liked to have seen Christpher Ecleston appear with the other new Doctors. He was the first Doctor to mention the great time war.

Quote:

The Doctor: Well they're never gonna *come*! Your race is dead! You all burned, all of you. Ten million ships on fire. The entire Dalek race, wiped out in one second.

Dalek: You lie!

The Doctor: I watched it happen. I *made* it happen!

Dalek: You destroyed us?

The Doctor: [the Doctor walks away from the Dalek] I had no other choice.

Dalek: And what of the Time Lords?

The Doctor: [pause] Dead. They burnt with you. The end of the last great Time War. Everyone lost. "

I remember watching the 2nd Doctor's farewell "The War Games" at 10 parts, which equates to about a 3 hour and 45 minute run time when strung together, for the first time and finding it really draining. The subsequent times I watched it (including the last one about about 8 years ago) I was mentally prepared and it actually didn't seem as long.

Curious JB: Have you taken the time to watch either of the recently discovered "lost episodes" ("The Enemy of the World" or "The Web Of Fear") yet? Watched the first but haven't got to the second yet. Great reminder about how slow the plotting was in many of those classic episodes.

Watched the "The Day of the Doctor" (the 50th Anniversary episode) and while it was pretty good, it probably didn't have enough of the nostalgia factor to match the significance of the event. Also, if you have a chance to watch Peter Davison's "The Five(ish) Doctors" online, it runs about 30 minutes and is pretty funny. A bit campy at parts...but funny.

'Round these parts, they split "The War Games" up over two weekends due to its length.

I have purchased both of the "lost episodes" but thus far have only watched "The Web of Fear." Once I get done writing the book, I'll have time to do things like watch TV and old movies.

My opinion of "The Day of the Doctor" matches yours. The episode should have wallowed in nostalgia. An anniversary like that should have been a celebration of all 50 years, not just the last 9 (which is what it really was). Yes, "The Five Doctors" was incredibly campy but it felt like a party. I was underwhelmed by "The Day of the Doctor," although the last few minutes made up for some sins. I agree with Ken that most episodes shouldn't rely too much on "fan service," but this was a very special event. Truth be told, I actually enjoyed "The Five(ish) Doctors" more than "The Day of the Doctor."

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

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